Father of bike courier who died after altercation with former Ontario AG Michael Bryant seeking justice for 'Al'

Darcy Allan Sheppard's father seeks justice for deceased bike courier

Allan Sheppard, 75, isn’t looking for vengeance. He’s just looking for justice. To seek this justice, he caught a Greyhound bus from his home in Edmonton for a 54-hour trip to Toronto.

On Thursday, in a room decorated with aboriginal art at the Native Canadian Centre, Mr. Sheppard met with cycling activists and reporters, and pleaded with them to help him find answers in the violent death of his adopted son, who was a Métis.

The son, bike courier Darcy Allan Sheppard, or “Al” as he was known to friends, died August 31, 2009 after an altercation with former Ontario attorney general, Michael Bryant. Mr. Sheppard was 33. Police initially charged Mr. Bryant with criminal negligence causing death.; the Crown later dropped all charges.

Mr. Sheppard Sr., who sports shoulder-length grey hair, wore a grey jacket and black t-shirt with “Justice for ‘Al’ Justice for All” written on it over a white collared shirt. He spoke quietly, but raised his voice a little when pleading on behalf of his boy. He is not calling for the case to be reopened, nor does he have an objection to the dropping of charges against Mr. Bryant. But he does say the documents strongly suggest the prosecution “tweaked, massaged and cherry-picked” evidence and testimony and that the injustice was then in the Crown’s explanation for Mr. Bryant’s exoneration.

“Is my son just an outlaw messenger cyclist who is a trouble-maker, has a bad record and therefore is dispensable?” he asked. “Or is Mr. Bryant an upstanding pillar of society, former member of the government, potential premier of the province or whatever? Is he somehow more important in the scales of justice than my son? I don’t know.”

Mr. Sheppard told the assembled that, within the past year, he has obtained new details regarding the death of his son from Freedom of Information documents.

“Mr. Bryant did not give his version of the event until almost seven months later, giving him enough information and time to craft a scenario to suit the known facts,” Mr. Sheppard said. “Much of what Mr. Bryant said about the incident is uncorroborated, except by his wife, whose version, in turn, is corroborated only by Mr. Bryant.”

The father added that his research shows that there are factual errors in evidence from witnesses as to his son’s previous behaviour.

“Testimony of 19 witnesses on the scene of the event that led to my son’s death has been ignored or minimized,” he added.

Mr. Sheppard chuckled when asked about his relationship with his son, whom he took in as a foster child at age six and later adopted, saying it was “frustrating.” He talked about his son’s charm, intelligence and aspirations to become a stand-up comedian but also about his “propensity to make the same mistakes” more than once. He said the boy spent time in jail, lived on the street and had trouble holding down job, but became happier and more focused in his last two years, after he joined Toronto’s bike courier community.

Since his son’s death, Mr. Sheppard too has gained the support and friendship of many in the Toronto courier community. Several cyclist activists in attendance Thursday wore t-shirts saying “You never ride alone” and “Darcy Allan Sheppard Rest in Peace.” Several spoke of their admiration for Mr. Sheppard senior, a man who advised his son’s angrier friends not to take to the streets at Mr. Sheppard junior’s memorial in September 2009.

His sentiment sounded almost akin to that of Mr. Bryant, who told a news conference after the charges were dropped, that, “I wish none of it had happened. It was a terrible tragedy.”

Mr. Sheppard, who is retired and volunteers his time as a writer for the Alberta Street News, said getting justice for his son is what gives him “focus.”

However, he said he won’t be around for many more years and referenced his deteriorating health. He said the courier community might continue to fight for his cause and he called on the media to investigate further, but not with malice.

“I don’t see the justice system as a vehicle for vengeance… Vengeance is not what I’m about or what I think the justice system should be about,” he said.